Mitt Romney leads GOP field in Iowa

Poll participant Jaleyn Dobbs, 54, of Creston, likes McCain’s views on the war in Iraq.

“He, being a veteran, understands what is going on,” said Dobbs, a nurse who provides respite care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. McCain was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

“I don’t feel that President Bush rushed to judgment. I feel he did what he did to protect us,” Dobbs said. She has a son in the Air National Guard who was stationed for a time in the Middle East.

The poll shows that being a war veteran is a significant political asset.

Nearly one-half of likely Republican caucus participants say they are more likely to support a candidate with that experience.

Other poll findings point, however, to some softness in McCain’s support. Among Iowans who definitely will attend the Republican caucuses, which is a firmer commitment than those saying they probably will attend, McCain slips to third place behind Giuliani.

McCain also trails Romney and Giuliani among likely caucus participants who say they plan to attend the Republican Party’s August straw poll in Ames — an early test of the candidates’ ability to mobilize their Iowa supporters. Another plus for Giuliani is that likely poll participants choose him slightly more often than Romney and McCain as their second choice for the Republican presidential nomination.

Poll respondent Dick Ernst, 73, of Cedar Rapids, makes Giuliani his top choice, saying he “exudes leadership and he cares for people.” Ernst, a retired Wesleyan Church minister, said he followed Giuliani’s career as New York mayor. “He certainly turned that place around, even before 9-11.”

While Ernst strongly disapproves of abortion, he said he can accept Giuliani’s position that women have a legal right to choose an abortion. “He’s not for abortion and I appreciate that … He would nominate judges who would be strict constructionists.”

The poll shows nearly three-fourths of likely caucus participants believe abortion should be illegal. Within that large group, 14 percent give the nod to Giuliani, which is a little lower than his overall level of support at 17 percent.

Backing for Romney and McCain from within the anti-abortion group matches their overall level of support.

Ernst, the retired minister, said he’s disappointed that Giuliani has had three marriages, although Giuliani is not alone among the nation’s political leaders who have had failed marriages.

The Iowa Poll indicates that could be a significant political liability for Giuliani. Fifty-five percent of likely Republican caucus participants are less likely to support a candidate who’s had messy family relationships. The eight GOP candidates with single-digit support in the poll still have nearly eight months to boost their name recognition and punch through with their messages.

Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor who placed fourth in the poll, is regarded favorably by a 57 percent majority of likely caucus participants. Sixteen percent view him unfavorably and the rest are undecided.

With 7 percent of caucusgoers making him their top choice for the party’s nomination, Thompson does a little better than Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas at 5 percent; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado at 4 percent each; and Chicago businessman John Cox, U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore at 1 percent each. The poll did not find measurable support for U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.